[Anonymous]

Taking BEC tomorrow, and wondering how much attention I need to give to time management on the exam? For FAR, I was very careful to watch the clock so I’d have 90 minutes for sims. I would ideally like to have an hour for the WC, so is it realistic that I could allow 40 minutes per section for the mcq’s? Some of the calculation problems I’ve encountered in Wiley take me 5-10 minutes to complete. Also in FAR, if I couldn’t think of how to do a calculation problem within a minute or two, I’d just pick an answer and move on. But I’m wondering if I shouldn’t do this for BEC b/c you can pretty much BS the writing section and an hour is overkill. Any suggestions on how to manage my time? Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Time is definitely something you'll have to keep in the back of your mind. I finished with 6 seconds left on the clock…panicky. I think I had 40 minutes left for the WC after the MCQ. With the MCQ counting for 85%, it is probably better to shave a few minutes off of your WC budget if it helps you in the first three testlets.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for responding 🙂

[Mom2two]

I am taking it tomorrow too! Hoping tomorrow is the lucky day!! 😉 I think 30 minutes is enough time for the W/C so that would be one hour per testlet.

B: 81 (3X) May 2012
A: 76 (1X) Nov 2011
R: 86 (2X) Feb 2012
F: 64, April 2011, retake 10.01.12 - 75!!!!!!!!!!

[misanthrope87]

30 minutes for the WC sounds kinda short. What if you get some where you don't know the topics? I really don't think it's necessary to spend an hour per testlet. The calculations in the real exams were a lot less intense than Wiley and Becker.

B 2/12 87
A 11/11 90
R 8/11 86
F 5/12 88

[Mom2two]

I am obviously tired…it is 3 hours total, so 2.5 for the testlets and 30 for the W/C. 🙂

B: 81 (3X) May 2012
A: 76 (1X) Nov 2011
R: 86 (2X) Feb 2012
F: 64, April 2011, retake 10.01.12 - 75!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

30 minutes for the WC? I don't think I could swing that…especially if I get a topic that I can't explain with ease. I'm sure I'll sit there for at least 5 minutes trying to figure out how to BS it and probably another 15 trying to make BS sound professional haha

[greenli2]

I took bec first and really felt pressured time wise. I got done the mc in 90 mins and finished the essays with 10 mins to spare. I guess it depends on your writting ability but I'm glad I had time to proof read and gather my thoughts as I was writting.

BEC - 2/13 - 87
Audit - 4-16 - 99
Reg - 5-29 - 94
Far- 8-13 - 97

I use becker self-study, final review, flash cards, wiley test bank, and I make my own flash cards using studyblue.com

[Mom2two]

My focus is the multiple choice questions was my point. And I really hope the other posters that mentioned the questions are not as tough as Wiley are right because some of the Wiley questions take me forever! I am a semi decent writer, a few published pieces (which really does not mean anything…haha) but I feel confident in my ability to get through the writing quickly so that is my approach. But who knows, considering I didn't pass last time. Just what my approach is going to be. Hoping tomorrow is the day. Off to yoga and meditate for the evening and get myself centered and focused for this thing. I really feel like BEC is my monster.

B: 81 (3X) May 2012
A: 76 (1X) Nov 2011
R: 86 (2X) Feb 2012
F: 64, April 2011, retake 10.01.12 - 75!!!!!!!!!!

[makinthemagic]

I definitely didn't leave enough time for the writing in BEC. I knew I had the mcq nailed but I was editing with 1 second left. I also didn't study the writing soon enough and was definitely not properly prepared as it was also my first exam. I'd reserve an hour for writing, maybe a few minutes more, as 20 mins/writing assignment can cut it close if you want to devote more than 5 minutes each to brainstorming/writing/editing.

Bec 4/11/11 91
Aud 7/11/11 75
Reg 8/31/11 80
Far 5/24/11 86
Ethics - 98
California Licensed CPA
Illinois Registered CPA

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the replies. I have decided that my strategy will be to just play it by ear today on the exam. If I'm doing okay on the MCQ's, I'm going to devote more time to them so I can get a lot of points that way. If I don't feel I'm doing too well, I'll make sure to allow myself a full hour for WC so I can maximize my points there. I'm just really worried about these calculation problems… I know most of the formulas, but sometimes it takes me a couple of minutes to recall them and then some of the problems in Wiley are ridiculously long. I'll report back later today…

@EEL – lol about making the BS sound professional. That's most likely going to be my problem, too 🙂

[Anonymous]

@apbandj, GOOD LUCK TODAY!!! I'm cheering for you 🙂

[Tina82]

Good luck!!

I think I will keep my BEC book indefinitely. Made lose five pounds = unexpected perk I guess…

R - 74;88
A - 84
B - 74;89
F - no study = 67; May 15 = 87 & done

[KS-FLA]

@apbandj

Good luck today!!!!

FAR - 77 (Feb 2012)
REG - 88 (Aug 2011)
AUD - 79 (Nov 2011)
BEC - 80 (May 2012)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the good luck wishes!

The exam was super random… not as bad as I was expecting but not easy by any means. I think I did okay on about 75% of the calculation problems, but not so much on the conceptual ones. My second testlet got harder, but my third one was kind of in-between (not Medium like the first, but not as hard as the second). I left there feeling the same as I did when I left FAR… no clue how I did and no clue what my score will be.

Wiley definitely does not prepare you well for COSO. I had several conceptual questions relating to COSO and a couple from the Econ and IT modules that were not covered in Wiley at all. I can only hope those were pretest questions.

It was crazy how you have to memorize so many formulas, but only end up seeing about 15% of them on the exam.

To be continued after I get back from taking my son to school…

[jokami]

apbandj…

I took BEC yesterday, and my time management was a disaster… I couldn't finish it. Time ran out right about when I was finishing my second WC… So I really hope that the last one is the pre-test one. With the MC I ended up guessing a few of them because they just did NOT make any sense…. I think I did better than the first time, but not enough to pass. I'll just have to repeat in August in the meantime prepare for REG.

B - 62, 70, 72, 79!!!
A - 68, 81
R - 70, 82
F - 84

"The limit to your abilities is where you place them" - Fortune Cookies

[Author]

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